After founding and leading Creative Crawley since 2019, our Creative Director, Louise Blackwell, has been appointed Chief Executive of Worthing Theatres & Museum. Louise will remain with Creative Crawley until the end of March 2027, ahead of taking up her new role full-time in April.
We will be recruiting for a new role, to work alongside our existing Co-Director of Creative Playground, Sophie Eustace, in due course and details of how to apply will be released shortly.
Since founding Creative Crawley in 2019, Louise has worked to develop the organisation into a thriving arts charity. In 2022, Creative Crawley was part of a consortium that secured multi-year funding from Arts Council England through its Creative People and Places programme. Sophie Eustace joined in 2023 to work with Louise as Co-Director of Crawley’s Creative Playground. In 2024 we secured a significant Place Partnership grant to establish dedicated creative spaces in the town centre and Louise has played a leading role in establishing Creative Crawley as an influential voice for arts and culture in Crawley and West Sussex.
Commenting on the announcement and the next chapter for the organisation, Creative Crawley’s Chair of Trustees, Lorraine Lecourtois, said:
‘Recruitment will begin soon for a replacement for Louise who will inherit an organisation with strong foundations, an experienced and committed team, established partnerships and an exciting programme ahead. They will provide the creative and strategic leadership for Creative Crawley into a new chapter.’
Louise would like to share the following personal message with our audiences, stakeholders and partners:
Hello,
It has been my honour to establish Creative Crawley as one of the key players in arts and culture in Crawley and West Sussex over the last 7 years. To be able to work with residents in my town of birth and meet artists, communities and leaders who care passionately about the power of culture has been a great thrill.
I’ve been invited to become the CEO of Worthing Theatres and Museum. It’s an extraordinary opportunity to to take over the stewardship of one of the most iconic sets of cultural buildings on the South coast, in a town that is bubbling with creative potential at this moment in time.
Creative Crawley comprises a group of amazing people. From the Welcome Team to Playmakers, Resident Artists to the Board of Trustees and Creative Playground Consortium, to our funders and supporters and of course the small but mighty core team who make extraordinary things happen in Crawley on a daily basis; I have been very lucky to work with these people.
And now, it’s time for a new phase for the company and for me. I have had such a brilliant time being part of the team that has made this powerful creative engine and I am so proud that the Trustees and staff are in a strong position now to take it forward.
I don’t leave until the end of March 2027 so there’s plenty of handover time. And for anyone interested in Creative Crawley, I can tell you it is a BRILLIANT organisation. So varied, so impactful and lots of fun.
See you soon.
Louise
Photo credits: @iangreenlandphoto
